The research, by the estate agency Cluttons and YouGov, focused on a small number of high net worth individuals from Gulf states who were interviewed about their property portfolios. Of the 127 people who responded, 55% owned a number of homes around the world, and more than one in 10 said London was their city of choice for investment.

Investors spoke of London’s infrastructure and connectivity via frequent, direct flights to their home countries, and the political, economic and physical security offered by the city.

A quarter of those who said they planned to buy a property in London said they were targeting capital gains rather than looking for somewhere to live or let out, while 22% said they were planning to buy to let.

The Middle East Private Capital report, which will be published this week, found almost two-thirds of investors planned to buy in their favoured city during 2016.

Cluttons said property values in central London’s most expensive neighbourhoods had increased by 4.6% year-on-year while rental yields – returns from rental income – had averaged 3.72%. The agency said investors had benefited from 70% growth over the past seven years, and it expected cumulative capital growth of 19.1% over the next five years.

Faisal Durrani, head of research at Cluttons, said: “Our research confirms the sentiments of many that London is perceived to be lined with gold bricks with the residential returns outperforming mediocre stock and bond markets in recent years. This lock-up and leave attitude has been a political hot topic and often cited as a main driver of rising values and diminishing affordable stock.”

Durrani said investors from the Middle East were “less sensitive to the Brexit uncertainty” than those from other parts of the world.

“Additionally, a third of respondents from Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia felt their local economies were worsening or destabilising, which has fuelled a desire to look for investment opportunities abroad with 65% likely to seek assets outside their own state. London is perceived as a low investment risk and historically popular with a legacy of investment data to support.”

Durrani said that while 47% of those surveyed were motivated by capital gains and rental values, a quarter planned to use their acquisition as a second residence for themselves and their family.

“However, it is undetermined how often these second residences are frequented,” he added.